Improvement in reversible seats



PATENTED JUL -41871 UNITED Srarns armar V Grrrcn.

FRANK M. HAVVKINS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVERSIBLE SEATS.

To all whom it lmay concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. HAwKINs, of Indiana-polis, in the county ofMarion and State of Indiana, have invented certain Improvements in Seatsfor Railroad Cars, Churches, Schools', te., ot' which the following is aspecification:

My invention relates to the combination ot an oscillating seat with areversible bach, through the intervention of a cam and cam-rods, so thatwhichever side the back is occupying that edge of the seat is forceddown for the time being, and the opposite edge is raised in acorresponding degree, and the eiiect is always to have the front part ofthe seat a little `higher than the rear part ofthe same, therebyobviatin g all tendency to slide torward and ott ot' the seat.

Figure l is a front perspective view of a seat with my inventiona-pplied. Fig. 2 is an underside view of one end of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is anelevation of one end piece ot' a seat with the working parts thereofexposed to view, showing the back to the right, and Fig. 4 is the sameas Fig. 3, but showing the back to the left side.

S is the seat. B is the back 5 E, the ends of' a seat, and b, theswinging bars connecting the back with the end pieces E. J is avibrating base, one at each end ofthe seat S, and connecting the seat tothe upright ends E by means of a lixed 'ulcrum, upon which they rock oroscillate. These may be made of cast-iron or any other suitablematerial. They have a right-angled flange, through which screws pass,securing them to the under side ofthe seat S, Fig. 2. They arefulcruined in their middle to a pin or bolt securely tixed on the innertace of the upright ends E. These oscillating base-pieces J are providedwith slots at each end, in which a pin plays that is fixed in the lowerend of each cam-rod It. These cam-rods may be made straight, or they maybe semicircular in shape. If they are semicircular there is no necessityof having slots in the ends of J, only a pin-hole being necessary. Thereason is obvious. The cam-rods It may be gained into the face of E, orthey may lie on the surface. If the latter, they ought to be coveredwith a housing of sheet metal, crimped or stamped into shape. Thecam-rods It converge until their upper ends almost meet, and rest snuglyagainst the edge of cam U. This prevents any surplus motion in the seatS. Cam C is let into a circular recess in the face of E. It is an oblongoval, and is firmly secured in the end of seat-bar b and in end piece Eby a squareended bolt, the outer end ot' which bolt rotates in plate P2,and its inner end in plate P1. (See Fig. l.) When back B is in positionthe cam C stands perpendicular, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4 and by thedotted lilies in Fig. l, and the lower end ofthe cam is in contact withthe upper ends of the cam-rods It. It' back B is rotated to the oppositeside of the seat the cam sweeps over with it and reverses the positionof the cam-rods by pressing down y one and allowing the otlierto move upin the same ratio, thus rocking the seat S in the opposite direction. Bymoving the lower ends of canti-ods It further apart or closer together alesser' or greater motion may be given to the oscillation ofthe seat,and its slantback decreased or increased accordingly. It is thus seenthat, by this simple device, a seat is always made to slant back fromthe front edge, and is thereby rendered an agreeable and easy positionfor rest to the users of the sa-me. The bars b may be made similar tothose used on any ofthe common seats with reversible backs. Inasmuch asthe upright ends E ca-nnot be lirmly and stit'iy attached to the seat S,it becomes necessary to brace their lower ends securely to each other bymeans of double braces e and l reaching from one to the other. 011e ofthese braces should be bifurcated at its ends to hold the end uprights Eexactly parallel to each other. The general style and width or length ofthese seats may be varied, to snuit the fancy of the builder, to anyextent, or to adapt them to whatever purpose 'they may be required. Thecams C may be cut out of metal, or they may be cast in the exact shapeneeded. The cam-bars or rods It may be cast, if semicircular; or cutfrom straight thin iron bars, if straight, as here shown.

I claim- The cam C, as connected with the reversible back B, incombination with an oscillating seat, S, by means of cam-rods It ortheir equivalent, all as shown and described, substantially, in theforegoing speciiication.

FRANK M. HAVVKINS.

Vitnesses G no. W. ALEXANDER, W. C. SHORTRIDGE.

